There is a cultural Bermuda Triangle in Prague. The vertices are lower Vinohrady,Nusle and Vrovice. Except for the Mexican restaurant Baracuda, here “diversity”means a Russian herna bar abutting a Siberian tattoo parlor. Shakespeare a Synove(Shakespeare and Sons) English-language bookstore and café, which officiallyopens the first week in November, is a welcomed neighborhood addition.

Established in what was once known as “the best brothel in Prague” due to itswarm running water – an oddity in 1930s Eastern Europe – Shakespeare and Sonsis the brainchild of three Czechs and an American: Roman, Radim, David, andBryn.

After months of renovations, they are finally ready for business.

“I didn’t anticipate how much work had to go into preparation,” says Roman,who conceived the idea in Paris while working at the world-famous Shakespeare& Co. bookstore. “I expected us to be up and running in two months, butwe had to do everything. Repaint the walls, relay the floor, build the bookcases,tables and light fixtures. Everything.”

The result is a comfortable, well-utilized space, divided into two sections:a storefront café and bar with a small used books section, and “The Book Room”where you’ll find new books and plenty of seating. Connecting the two areasis a passage that features a mosaic by the Brno artist Libor Havlíček. “It tookus five weeks to complete that thing,” Bryn groans, staring at the passage.

You can smoke in the café while perusing the selection of used, multi-lingualbooks and sipping on your choice of espresso, cappuccino or Dilmah teas, allpriced at under 30 Kč. Bernard is on tap (20 Kč for .3l) and there’s a goodliquor selection, with plans for a cocktail menu in the near future. Aside fromstandard beer snacks, with the notable addition of pistachios, the food selectionfocuses on desserts, including an excellent chocolate cake.

Shakespeare and Sons stands out, however, not for its brandies, but for itsvariety of English-language print. Nine sections of books put the store immediatelyin league with other, more established shops in town.

“We were able to get quite nice discounts on a lot of this stuff, which explainsthe volume of material we have, as well as the price,” says Roman.

“You won’t find anything priced above cover,” adds Bryn.

Low overhead allows for low prices and most books ring in at around 300 Kč,with only special circumstances – such as limited editions and unique formats– shooting the price higher. One pleasant surprise is a Film/Theatre sectioncomprised mostly of Faber & Faber titles that average 300 Kč. “Their stuffis usually pretty expensive, but, again, we got a nice discount,” Roman explains.

In addition, there are specialized sections for Poetry, Fiction, Chil-dren’sBooks and History/PoliSci/ Philosophy. If you can’t find what you want, they’llorder it for you.

“Even if it means ordering something used online, if you want it bad enough,we’ll find it for you,” Bryn promises. There are two foreign language sections,German and Czech, the latter of which includes publications from small pressessuch as Aula Press with original cover designs and jacket illustrations.

Shakespeare and Sons is a buy-and-sell establishment, so when you’ve finishedthat third stab at Ulysses, you can return it for cash or credit: 25% and 35%of the sale price, respectively.

Two tram stops from Naměstí Miru and just down the hill from Vinohrady, thisnewcomer hopes to become a community hub for Prague’s English speakers. “Thisis a place to come if you like books, if you like reading, if you’re into caféculture,” says Roman. He promises everything from readings to film screeningsto magazine launches, such as last month’s party for the release of KilometerZero #3.

“We’re also open to ideas from our customers,” says Roman. “I hesitate to callit a cultural center, but if you do something artistic, let us know. We’ll rememberyour name.”